Think of a spider at the centre of a huge web, says Neil Dransfield. “We deliver architecture through technology — and are at the centre of a huge number of interrelated disciplines.”

Bet you thought architects designed buildings? They do, but there is an overlap between the work of architects and architectural technologists. Sometimes the latter interpret architects’ designs and produce detailed instructions for a construction project. Some buildings, however, are the work of architectural technologists from Day1.

Dransfield’s company, ArcTech Associates, works on all sorts of buildings, from motorway service areas to house extensions. So what skills does he look for in recruits? “People who can focus on delivery of product, who can manage risk, and who can communicate.”

Richard Longstaff runs his own firm in Essex and lectures on the architectural technology degree course at nearby Anglia Ruskin University. He looks for recruits with “enthusiasm and passion . . . people who search for answers first”.

John Bridge is in the final year of his part-time degree course in architectural technology (sponsored by his employer, the Lancashire-based Croft Goode Partnership). He works chiefly with one of the partners — a lead architect — on projects in the housing and education sectors and on community regeneration schemes. “I produce the planning applications which put me in contact with structural engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors and the client. I get a real sense of achievement when the plans are passed and at the handover when I see the result of our vision and how well the spaces and forms work.”

Most qualified architectural technologists work in private practice, although there are also opportunities in the public sector and with property developers. Earnings could reach £35,000 — more for partners.



Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, www.ciat.org.uk Royal Institute of British Architects, www.riba.org

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